Home Office backs 2.5 per cent police pay rise

23 July 2019

Police officers have been awarded a 2.5 per cent pay increase.

The Home Office announced the news yesterday, a move welcomed by the Police Federation of England and Wales which said it was a ‘small step in the right direction’.

It is the first time in three years that the Home Office has accepted in full the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB), the independent  body advising the Government on police pay.  

However, the chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, John Apter, says the Government must do more to make up for years of real-term pay cuts endured by Federation members.

John says: “Police officers have suffered nine years of pay freezes and pay caps. So, while this pay award represents the highest received since 2010, it is not what we and the Police Superintendents’ Association jointly asked for – however, it is better than the derisory rise our members were given last year.

“And it is positive to see the Government abiding by proper process and accepting all the recommendations of the PRRB which it has failed to do for the past two years. But this must be just the start of getting police officers pay back to the level it should be.”

He continues: “Before the next pay award, the chancellor will announce the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review – and that must include substantial, centrally-funded investment to ensure the service is fully and properly resourced, encompassing a significant, real-term rise in officer pay.”

As well as the pay rise, which is applicable across all ranks and will come into effect from 1 September, the Government announced:

• An increase in the on-call allowance from £15 to £20 per 24-hour period for all Federated ranks
• A 2.5 per cent uplift in the dog handlers’ allowance
• A 2.5 per cent uplift in London weighting, and
• No change for apprentice and degree holder progression pay, which means those joining the service will continue to receive the current incremental pay rises through their probationary period.

The Police Federation, in a joint submission to the PRRB with the Superintendents’ Association earlier this year, had sought a three-year pay deal for officers with a five per cent uplift in each year to bring police pay back to ‘fair levels’.

However, if the three-year deal was not considered possible, the Federation put forward a claim for a 6.2 per cent rise this year.